COUNCIL AGAIN BACKS MANAGED COMPETITION

San Diego 
Mayor Bob Filner’s review of the city’s managed competition program is due next month and could lead to major changes in how San Diego pits city workers against private contractors in bidding to provide certain services.

With that in mind, the City Council voted 6-2 Tuesday to reaffirm its support for managed competition and urge the mayor to move forward with the program.

Managed competition — approved by city voters in 2006 — has been in a state of uncertainty since Filner took office in December. A skeptic of the program’s benefits, the mayor immediately halted all progress on managed competition and then reversed course in February by allowing previously awarded bids to be implemented.

Whether the city will proceed with more competitions will hinge on a review under way by the Mayor’s Office.

Councilman Kevin Faulconer proposed the resolution and has long urged Filner drop his opposition.

“The purpose of this resolution is to communicate a very clear message to San Diegans that this council is committed to running an efficient city government,” he said.

The program has saved about $1.5 million so far with two services — publishing and street sweeping — having gone through a competition. City employees won both. The annual estimated savings for other proposed competitions is $9.8 million.

Francisco Estrada, the mayor’s council liaison, said the review of managed competition is expected to be ready for a July 31 public hearing with proposed improvements.

“Nobody is committed more toward saving taxpayer dollars than Mayor Filner, and he believes that managed competition could be one of those tools,” Estrada said.

All four of the council’s Republicans — Faulconer, Mark Kersey, Scott Sherman and Lorie Zapf — supported the resolution along with two Democrats: Todd Gloria and Sherri Lightner. Democrats Myrtle Cole and Marti Emerald were opposed, while David Alvarez was absent.